Can reduced contour detection performance in the periphery be explained by larger integration fields?

Human contour integration performance decreases [1,2] with eccentricity, though less so for contours with good gestalt properties [3]. However, the cause is still not well understood. On the one hand, there is reduced visual acuity in the periphery due to cortical magnification. The same area of the visual field is mapped to a larger area of cortical surface close to the fovea than in the periphery. On the other hand, there is visual crowding. Elements that are clearly recognizable when shown in isolation are harder to recognize when surrounded by similar objects. The critical spacing for crowding has shown to be approximately half the eccentricity [4]. So crowding could be caused by larger integration fields in the periphery that span at least half the eccentricity.